Not applicable.
Not applicable.
The present invention relates to specialized storage containers in general, and to containers for articles which come in contact with children""s mouths in particular.
Proper oral hygiene, when pursued consistently, can contribute to healthy gums and teeth. Regular brushing of teeth, carried out from the earliest ages, helps to develop proper tooth care habits which persist through life. Persistent application of dental hygiene is associated with reduced levels of tooth and gum decay.
As an encouragement to proper oral hygiene habit development, even infants and toddlers should brush their teeth as soon as they are able. In many circumstances young children find themselves outside the home at snack- or meal-time. At preschools, day-care centers, Head Start programs, kindergartens and other social settings, many children partake of food which calls for subsequent toothbrushing. In order to provide adequate tooth care apparatus for all children, it is common for the school or day-care facility to retain on-site individual toothbrushes for each child. However, to restrain the spread of disease, it is important that toothbrushes are specifically associated with a particular child and are not exchanged. Not only that, but contamination between the brushes must be avoided as well. Furthermore, to prevent the growth of bacteria on the damp bristles, there must be an opportunity for the brushes to dry rapidly, even under humid conditions.
In some locations, brushes are stored in upright cylinders similar to test tubes, with the bristles projecting upwardly. To protect the bristles from insects a net is then placed over the array of cylinders. Such an arrangement can be unstable, and the net itself can be a vector of contamination.
What is needed is a container for personal care products for children, including infants and toddlers, which is hygienic, easy to maintain, and which promotes air drying of the contents.
The children""s personal hygiene storage container of this invention has multiple trays which are covered with pivotable lids. Each tray is divided into distinct compartments into which toothbrushes, teething rings, pacifiers, or other such personal hygiene articles may be placed. The lid is punctured by an array of air holes, which allow moisture to escape from the covered tray, while at the same time protecting the tray contents from contamination. The covered trays are received within an open front rack in a vertically spaced arrangement. Air cavities defined between stacked trays permit natural air flow over the trays, and the removal of moisture from the tray contents. A fan may be attached to the rear of the rack to blow air over the lids and to draw the moist air from within the compartments through the lid air holes.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a storage cabinet for infant and toddler toothbrushes and other personal care articles which keeps the articles of one user separated from those of another.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a storage container for infant and toddler personal care products which simultaneously protects the products from exterior contamination while at the same time allows the exhaustion of moisture laden air.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a storage container for infant and toddler toothbrushes and personal care articles which promotes the air drying of the container contents even in humid environments.
Further objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.